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Foreign Language Exposure, Cultural Threat, and Opposition to Immigration
Author(s) -
Newman Benjamin J.,
Hartman Todd K.,
Taber Charles S.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9221.2012.00904.x
Subject(s) - conceptualization , immigration , interpersonal communication , opposition (politics) , social psychology , feeling , sociology , cultural exchange , political science , psychology , criminology , linguistics , law , ethnology , politics , philosophy
In the present article, we extend the notion of cultural threat posed by immigrants beyond its current conceptualization as symbolic, collective‐level threats to American culture and identity. Instead, we argue that routine encounters with non‐English‐speaking immigrants cause many individuals to feel threatened because of real barriers to interpersonal communication and exchange. We draw upon survey and experimental data to demonstrate that local contact with immigrants who speak little to no English, as well as incidental exposure to the Spanish language, heighten feelings of cultural threat, which increases anti‐immigrant sentiment and policy preferences.